College Sports Blog

Texas A&M buses vandalized in Lubbock with ‘excrement, spray paint’ prior to game

LUBBOCK-Texas A&M awoke Saturday to a rather nasty surprise after their chartered buses were vandalized outside their Lubbock Holiday Inn, where they were staying in advance of the final Big 12 meeting between the Aggies and Texas Tech.

“Classy,” A&M athletic director Bill Byrne tweeted.

The buses were covered with excrement, along with Texas Tech logos and derogatory comments written on the buses in washable paint, according to a report by A&M assistant police chief Mike Ragan.

The inside of one bus that was unable to be locked was also coated with excrement on the interior.

“Bus 3 still reeks,” Byrne also tweeted.

A&M flew into Lubbock, where it traveled in four buses, which came in from Coach America in Dallas. The team travels with campus security and the Highway Patrol.

Ragan notified Tech police of the incident, but no police report was filed to the Lubbock Police or the Department of Public Safety. The bus drivers cleaned the mess.

“It’s always a disappointment when team transportation is vandalized,” Byrne said from the Jones AT&T Stadium press box. He declined to specify the vulgarities.

A Texas Tech spokesman said: “It’s an unfortunate event that we certainly don’t condone. It’s something typical of a rivalry game, but it’s sad the spirit of sportsmanship was hindered.”

With A&M’s move to the SEC it’s uncertain if the schools will meet again. They’ve had a number of heated confrontations over the years, including in 1999 when Tech upset No. 5 A&M in Lubbock. Fans stormed the field, tore down the goal posts and carried them toward the A&M section, starting a brawl.
-Kate Hairopoulos